Sri Lankan special forces have also recovered bodies of three top LTTE leaders - political head B Nadesan, LTTE peace secretariat chief Pulidevan and Ramesh, the army said.

The bodies were found during the mop operations in the last LTTE foothold in the no-fire zone on Monday morning, the defence ministry said, adding the Tamil Tigers are now boxed into a 100m x 100m area, north of Vellamullivaikkal.

The development came a day after LTTE conceded its defeat on Monday saying the decades-old battle has reached its "bitter end" and they have decided to "silence" their guns.

Nadesan, a former police constable of Sri Lanka police, was known to be the political head of the outfit. Pulidevan was known to be the head of LTTE peace
secretariat while Ramesh was one of the most senior special military leader of the Tamil Tigers.

According to the defence sources in the battlefront, the body suspected to be that of Anthony was found after an unsuccessful and half-hearted attempt by the Tamil Tigers to evacuate their leader's son early on Monday morning.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the body of Antony was being identified for confirmation. Anthony was known to be the head of Information and Technology department of the LTTE. It is believed that Prabhakaran was compelled to recruit his son to the outfit to avoid criticism over his hypocrisy.

The LTTE leader was often criticised for sending thousands of child soldiers to war while giving a luxurious life and best of education to his own children. Anthony was given a very senior position in the outfit after establishing a special non-fighting unit.